Travel, Atlases, Maps and Natural History

Travel, Atlases, Maps and Natural History

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 180. Tibet | Album of photographs relating to the Younghusband Expedition to Tibet, 1903-04.

Tibet | Album of photographs relating to the Younghusband Expedition to Tibet, 1903-04

Lot Closed

May 13, 04:42 PM GMT

Estimate

2,000 - 3,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Tibet


Album of 48 photographs relating to the Younghusband Expedition to Tibet, 1903-4, including views of Gyantse. circa 1904


4to album (275 x 185mm.), 48 silver gelatin photographs (each approximately 90 x 130mm., or the reverse), window mounted two images per page, original green cloth, floral embossed pattern to upper cover, centre of upper cover blocked in gilt 'Photographs', small printed blue paper label on lower pastedown of 'B.G.K. Clarke, (late Walker & Co.), Dispensing & Family Chemist, 8 & 9 Broad Street, Bath', [the photographs carefully removed and each preserved in a modern archival sleeve], occasional fading or wear to photographs, binding slightly rubbed


RARE PHOTOGRAPHS recording a journey from Sikkim to Tibet compiled by a British soldier attached to the Younghusband Tibet Expedition of 1903-4. The album follows an army trek to Tibet, via the Nathu-La Pass, through harsh mountainous terrain and barren valleys. This would suggest the provenance is a member of the British Indian Army garrison stationed at Gyantse. Certainly many of the soldiers in the photographs are either Sikh and Gurkha. The fortress town of Gyantse was stormed and captured in April, leading the way for the British advance to and ultimate capture of Lhasa in July. Army tents can by seen pitched in the ruins of a bombarded Tibetan town - other images show mules and horse-drawn carriages transporting supplies and arms. Of note is a graphic image of decomposed Tibetan corpses strewn on the ground, massacred by the British at Chumik Shenko on 31st March 1904.


WITH: a small albumen print photograph (90 x 65mm.) of four Tibetans, circa 1870s-80s (this was found behind one of the later photographs in the album).


We have been unable to locate any other copies of these images, suggesting that this collection of photographs may be unique. Two photographs bear the contemporary pencil caption, ‘Natu La Pass, on to Thibet’ and another is captioned, ‘Sibu La Pass’. In addition it has been possible to identify some of the locations (Tuna village camp, Phari Jong Fortress and Gyantse) by comparing these photographs with images from albums compiled by other photographers involved in the Expedition – and by modern images of Gyantse. Original photographs of the Younghusband Expedition are rare, the most well-known being by John Claude White.